With Chattanooga constantly growing and undertaking various developments, we figured it was time to talk about the cost of planting some roots in the Scenic City.

The median household income in Chattanooga is $57,703 (in 2022 dollars) according to the US Census Bureau. State-wise, Tennessee is No. 42 in the country for median income at ~$59,695 per household.

The overall cost of living in Chattanooga is lower than the national average. | Screenshot via bestplaces.net

The overall cost of living in Chattanooga is lower than the national average at 90.4 (based on a US average of 100), and lower than the rest of the state.

In Chattanooga, the cost of healthcare is slightly higher compared to the US average. However, the cost of groceries, housing, utilities, and transportation in the city is lower than the national average.

Breaking down the numbers

Hypothetically speaking, if you live in a household that brings in $50,000 annually – according to experts — you shouldn’t spend more than 30% of your monthly gross income on rent and utilities. We did the math for you: Your max monthly budget would be $1,250. The average monthly rent for an apartment in Chattanooga is $1,408, putting you over budget.

Meanwhile, if you’re wondering how much you can currently afford to spend on buying a home in Chattanooga, try using SmartAsset’s cost calculator. Factors like your marital status, annual pre-tax income, down payment, and monthly debt, will help determine that figure. According to BestPlaces, the median home cost in Chattanooga is $273,300.

While we’re crunching numbers, let’s also take a look at the chart below to see how Chattanooga's cost of living compares to that of Nashville (hi, NASHtoday).

Chattanooga has more affordable housing than Nashville. | Screenshot via bestplaces.net

Interested in seeing Chattanooga's cost of living compared to other cities? We played around on NerdWallet’s cost of living calculator, where you can put in any city along with your current pre-tax household income.

We took a look at the cost of living in Chattanooga compared to Austin, TX(hey, ATXtoday). Here’s what we found:

The cost of living is 11% higher in Austin.
To maintain a $50,000 Chattanooga household income standard of living, we would need to bring in $55,588 in Austin.
The median cost for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,870 — $457 more than Chattanooga.

To help with affordable housing, Chattanooga recently released an Affordable Housing Search Tool — an interactive, data-driven resource created in collaboration with Bloomberg’s City Alliance.